


A Twist of Luck (Or Fate)

by Chibifukurou



Series: Fated Verse [1]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Everybody Lives, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 10:50:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4663827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibifukurou/pseuds/Chibifukurou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where Fate is more than just a concept and people are chosen to bend the world to Fate's will.. Eggsy Unwin is born a Revelation, destined to intervene on Fate's Behalf.</p><p>At twenty-four he has yet to find fates purpose for giving him this power. Everytime he uses it, his life gets screwed up a little more. So when Harry Hart offers him the chance to become a Kingsman he takes it. Sure that he has finally found his purpose.</p><p>Only to find out that Fate isn't done with him quite yet.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	A Twist of Luck (Or Fate)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to crediniaeth on AO3 and, of course, vertrauen on LJ for their amazing beta!
> 
> And to Doodlingst for working with me on this Big Bang! Post to their art upcoming

 

*Prologue*

 

 

 

It's too early for Eggsy's bed time, but Mum hadn't stopped crying since the man came to tell them Daddy wasn't coming home. He couldn't say how, but something told him that now wasn't the time to fight with her about staying up late.

 

So, he gets dressed in his pajamas and climbs into bed without prompting. Mum stretched out on the bed beside him. He had thought she would go back into the living room to keep crying. She had tear streaks dried on her cheeks, but she still smiled at him gently as she carded her fingers through his blond curls. "Eggsy, do you remember your Daddy's favourite stories about Arthur and his Knights?"

 

"Daddy says that when I grow up I can be one of the knights," Eggsy says.

 

Mum stifled her sobs in her hands for a few long seconds while Eggsy patted her back the same way she always patted his when he's upset. "I can go to sleep without a story tonight, Mum."

 

Her smile was watery when she pulled her hands away from her face. "No, my Eggsy. I want to tell you this story. Just lay back for me, okay."

 

Eggsy does as he's bid. He lays against the pillows and watched as Mum turned the lights out before coming to lay beside him. The street light that trickled through his closed blinds making the tears on Mum's cheeks sparkle. "This is the story of how Arthur met Merlin. It was always one of your Daddy's favourites. He wanted to tell it to you once you were bigger, but…" She stopped speaking while a few more tears trickled down her cheek. "Once upon a time, there was a poor boy, and the Fates had chosen him to be their Revelation. So one day, without knowing why, he left his families' farm and walked all the way to the Great City of Camelot. The day that he arrived, there was a great contest to see who could pull the sword of destiny from out of the rock that lay in the centre of Camelot.

 

Being poor, Arthur didn't have enough money to enter the trial, but he knew that Fate wanted him to lift that sword. Why else would he have arrived in Camelot on that  _exact_  day? He began to look through the crowd, hoping to find where Destiny was going to lead him next.

 

Among the people watching the tournament was a wise man named Merlin. He wasn't one of Fate's Revelations, like Arthur, but his whole life he had felt he was destined for something great. The moment his eyes met Arthur's in the crowd, they both felt a connection; a binding so deep that nothing could ever separate them, for Merlin was meant to be Arthur's helpmeet in all things. Together they walked forward and pulled the sword from the stone, just as Fate had always planned. And from that day until the day Arthur died, Merlin was never alone again."

 

Eggsy squirmed in his bed. He knew this story was important to Mommy, but he didn't understand why. It's not exciting like Daddy's stories about the Knights' adventures.

 

Mum pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'm sorry dear, I know it isn't a fun story like your Daddy's, but this one is special. It was our special story. Your Daddy always said it was the story that helped him to know that I was out there in the world waiting for him. One day, it's the story that will lead you to your own special someone. I promise."

 

 

\---

 

 

Eggsy Unwin watches through Harry's eyes as Valentine points his gun at Harry. The pleased look on Valentine's bespectacled face is burnt into his mind. His hands spasming around the tablet in his hand. His whole body is wound tight. He needs to protect Harry. an impossible urge when Harry is halfway round the world and Eggsy is stuck in London.

 

There's a bright flash, and Harry's feed goes dark. The tablet drops from Eggsy's numb hands. He should have been able to stop this. There should have been some kind of warning, one of the usual pains Eggsy got when he needed to step in on Fate's behalf. Harry was his helpmeet. Eggsy had been so sure, but then finding your helpmeet didn't always mean you got to live happily ever after.

 

Just look at his Mom.

 

Still, there should have been some warning. Something that told him not to let Harry walk out the door and go flying off to Kentucky.

 

Eggsy tries to figure out a way that Harry could have survived. A reason Fate wouldn't have warned him that he needed to keep Harry from leaving the house. Fates knew, Eggsy was a fuck-up of an Revelation. Every time he tried to follow Fate's prompting, everything just got worse. He had listened when the Fates told him not to shoot JB, and now Harry was gone. It was like the Fates expected him to somehow save the world by being a cosmic fuckup.

 

The Fates would never have let him keep Harry. All the old stories said that the Revelation dies before their Helpmeet, but he's not worthy of having Harry as his  guide and protector.

 

So they'd killed Harry instead.

 

He needs out of this room. Away from the blood red walls and every surface covered with the proof of how Harry had saved the world. Eggsy pushes away from the desk so hard the back of Harry's chair slams against the wall. The noise echoing the gunshot that Eggsy can't stop hearing.

 

"I'll fix this when I get back," Eggsy's memory whispers, but Harry isn't coming back.

 

Eggsy heads for the door, toward the brandy in the liquor cabinet downstairs. His hand reaches up to turn off the light, but he can't make himself do it. It feels too final, like watching a casket being covered over until there isn't any sign that the person ever lived.

 

He leaves the light shining. Merlin, or whoever comes to clear away Harry's things can say that final goodbye. Eggsy has done enough.

 

The brandy sits out on top of the liquor cabinet. The same bottle that Harry said they would share when Eggsy became a Knight. Fates, but had that only been last night. Barely twenty four hours and Eggsy has gone from a life filled with possibilities to this. Drinking a toast to his dead Helpmeet.  The only man who had ever believed that Eggsy could be a force for good in the Grand Balance.

 

Instead, Eggsy let him walk into Valentine's trap. Let him be mind controlled by that bastard's Beserker computer chip. Let him  _die_. How was that for helping keep the fucking Balance?

 

Eggsy's hand barely has a chance to close around the brandy bottle, when a spike of pain slices through his head. A Fate prompt, the worst one he's ever had. His hands shake with it. Arcs of light cross his line of sight. He's kneeling on the floor before he even has a chance to register the pain.

 

He knows what this is. Back when he was younger, he'd read every book on the Fates that he could get his hands on. All in an attempt to find a way to make his powers actually work right. This kind of power only comes when there is a major event only one step ahead in the future. The kind of event that could change the whole world.

 

Laughter wells up, jagged, and quickly turns into sobs. So this is it. He finally gets his chance at redemption, and all it cost him was one of the people he cared about most in the world. Well, screw that. Screw Fate, and screw Balance. He might not have any coke or weed to drown out the pain, but he has a full decanter's worth of brandy. He wouldn't be doing anything once he was drunk off his ass.

 

He pushes himself up through the pain, grabs hold of the decanter, and drags it back to the floor with him. Pulling the stopper out, he takes a long swig. Harry would be disgusted. Sitting on the floor drinking straight from the decanter, could you get  _less_  gentlemanly?

 

The thought sends Eggsy off into another spat of hysterical laughter. What was it Harry liked to say... "Being a gentleman means being a better person than you were the day before," or some rot like that.

 

Fuck, but if he could see Eggsy now, he'd be so fucking disappointed. Just another case of not living up to his potential. Another stab of pain leaves him curled around the decanter, trying to keep the sip he'd just swallowed from coming back up again.

 

The thought floats into his head, buoyed by the pain. What if he isn't getting this little wake up call because Fate wanted him to save the world? What if Fate wanted him to step up because he'd gotten Harry killed? And now the mission that Harry was meant to take had fallen into Eggsy's hands?

 

One last debt to be repaid to the man who had actually treated Eggsy like he was worth something. He can do this. He never welches on his debts. No matter what he currently thinks about the Fates, he's not going to fail Harry again.

 

He takes one last swig of the brandy and lifts the decanter up in a sloppy salute to the heavens. "Ta, mate. I'll make you proud." He shoves the stopper back into the decanter. Arthur's car is still parked out front, he can take it to the Savile Road shop. With every step he takes, the pain in his head eases just a little bit more.

 

 

\---

 

 

Valentine takes the shot. Bruising pain shoots through Harry's head. A crackle of electricity runs through his body. The pain isn't enough to knock him out, but experience has him slam his eyes closed anyway, playing dead.

 

Retching echoes from where Valentine was standing. Squeamish about blood, like a soldier on their first assassination mission. Hopefully it would keep him from checking Harry's body.

 

"It feels good, right?" Gazelle's voice sounds ominously close. He should have heard her approach. The graceful prostetics that make up the lower half of her legs are not quiet.

 

"No, it doesn't. It wasn't supposed to make him bleed," Valentine replies.

 

"First time using a new technology, some negative side-effects are to be expected."

 

This time he hears the sharp 'snick' 'snick' as Gazelle comes close, her metal feet ringing as they impact the concrete of the church parking lot. "You can stop playing dead, Agent Galahad."

 

He flicks the switch on the back of his signet ring and punches out towards her leg. The electrical current should be thoroughly incapacitating if it impacts the metal of her prosthetics. The ring impacts, but Gazelle doesn't even try to get away, she just smirks at him. "Don't bother, we hit you with a mini EMP bomb. Whatever nasty little tech you were hiding, it won't do you any good now." She pins his ring hand with the blunt portion of her prosthetic, forcing it into the ground. "You won't interfere with our plans again."

 

He braces for a slice to his throat from her free leg. Gazelle flicks a hand, and a few of Valentine's thugs come forward. Harry barely lands a punch when he tries to fight them off. The world spins. The shot to his head had done damage, even if it hadn't killed. It doesn't take them long to truss him up and search him for any weapons that might have managed to survive Valentine's bomb.

 

Why are they keeping him alive? They've tested their device, cut off his contact with Kingsman. There's no logical reason to risk him escaping.

 

Gazelle rubs a hand over Valentine's back. "I know you hate this sort of thing, but just think: we have Fate's other Revelation. The only thing we need now to find is his Helpmeet, and there will be nothing left to stop your plan."

 

Revelation... they think he works for the Fates? A man of logic like Valentine shouldn't be so fanciful. The thugs drag him to a cargo van and toss him in. There are no windows, no way for him to escape. He allows himself one ungentlemanly 'fuck' before he forces himself to concentrate. They will make a mistake and then he'll have his chance.

 

 

\---

 

 

When Eggsy finally makes his way into the Kingsman conference room above the tailor shop, Arthur is waiting for him. He looks up from his place of honor at the head of the room's long, rectangular conference table.  Waving a hand at the empty seat to his right, Arthur indicated for Eggsy to take a seat. "We were just having a toast in Harry's honor. I think he would have liked it if you shared it with us."

 

The genial way Arthur is treating him makes Eggsy uneasy. He learned a long time ago that people only treat you nice when they want something. The sight of an implant scar behind Arthur's ear confirms Eggsy's feeling of unease.

 

It is sad, how feeble minded Arthur is. How easy he is to con. It only takes a simple distraction and sleight of hand to swap the tainted brandy for the clean glass. Harry would have never fallen for it. As though Arthur would ever let a plebe like Eggsy touch his precious, holy brandy.

 

Anger for Harry mixes with pride for finally having gotten his own from Arthur. It is a heady cocktail. Makes him feel invincible, like he really is the one who deserves to met out Fate's divine justice. It is tempting to tell Arthur who and what he was messing with when he turned on Eggsy. The old man is from the old guard, back when people didn't question Fate's design.

 

Eggsy stares Arthur straight in the eye as the old man twitches. A hand clutching at his heaving chest. His wrinkled face twitches and sags. A string of curses slip out of him, his carefully polished veneer splitting open in his last moment of life.

 

No, he won't share his true identity with Arthur, not even for revenge. Arthur doesn't deserve anything from the Fates, not after he sullied the name of one of the most influential Revelations in the history of the world.

 

With a final shudder, Arthur collapses onto the conference table. A surge of pleasure fills Eggsy's chest. He killed one of the people responsible for Harry's death, now he just needs to take out Valentine and his revenge will be complete.

 

He'll need help though. Eggsy uses the poison pen to slice open the skin behind Arthur's ear. The implant comes out from under his skin with an ooze of blood. Nausea wells up for a second before Eggsy is distracted by the chime of Arthur's phone from where it lies next to the traitor's limp hand.

 

Reaching over Arthur's corpse, Eggsy activates the screen to show a purple page with a countdown and warning to get to safety. There is no time to try and sort things out himself, Fate or no Fate. The only people he has left that he can trust are Roxy and Merlin, and that's only if Arthur hasn't gotten to them first.

 

There are no helpful nudges guiding him to make the right decision. Sometimes being one of Fate's Revelations really sucks. Like playing Blind Man's Bluff and waiting to see how far off course you can get before Fate drags you back.

 

The countdown on Arthur's phone keeps running down the minutes until the end of the world.

 

*

 

Eggsy stares down the muzzle of Roxy's gun, trying not to show how much it hurts him that one of the best friends he's ever had is willing to shoot him. He holds out Arthur's phone and the implant as a peace offering. "Rox, please, I promise I didn't go rogue. It was Arthur. He set Harry up to be killed. You gotta believe me."

 

Her eyes soften a tiny amount. The same look she gets when he spoils JB and she is trying to act like she disapproves. Not like she's just as bad as he is about slipping the pup bits of fry-up in the morning.

 

Keeping his hands where she can see them, he waits. He doesn't want to hurt her. Her face is set in a disinterested mask, but he can see the distress in her eyes. So, he stands as still as he can, only chancing a glance in Merlin's direction when the older man takes the phone and implant chip from his hands.

 

He watches Merlin's eyes harden. For once he's not looking at Eggsy with that heart-wrenching look of disappointment. Instead, he seems to be coming to terms with the fact that a man he trusted betrayed them all. Eggsy wonders if Merlin is putting the pieces together and has figured out that Arthur was the one that sent Harry to die.

 

There isn't a chance to find out. Merlin's face hardens into that unreadable poker face he used when he didn't want the trainees to know whether his orders were serious or a sly joke. Towards the end of training, Roxy had been able to get a bead on Merlin's sense of humour to know when he was joking, but Eggsy doubts it is humour that Merlin is hiding today.

 

Rage, sorrow, it's impossible to tell. Merlin squares his shoulders and he might as well be taking a stroll through a field of flowers for all of the emotion he's showing. "Stand down Lancelot, he's telling the truth."

 

"So what do we do now?"

 

Merlin's smile took on a bloodthirsty edge. "Now we save the world."

 

As he follows Merlin deeper into Kingsman HQ, a feeling of almost euphoria weaves through his body. He can't be sure if it is because he now has backup he can trust, or if it's a sign that the Fates like the path he is on.

 

He hopes it's the second.

 

If there are only three of them against Valentine and all his goons, they are going to need all the help Fate can provide.

 

 

\---

 

 

Harry watches as Valentine paces around the glass-wrapped control centre. "If you would just tell me what the Fates brought you here to do, we could all be a lot more comfortable."

 

Harry kept his mouth shut and does his best to act like he is intentionally holding information back. If the veiled discussion he shared with Valentine during their previous meeting had tried his limited patience, then this was a new kind of torture.

 

Probably the worst that Valentine could manage, given his weak stomach for violence. Harry had been keeping an eye on Valentine's companion, Gazelle. She could, no doubt, have tortured him without hesitation, but he doubted she would make a move unless Valentine told her to, or he became a threat.

 

 

They had stripped him down to his shirt sleeves before tying him, wrist and ankle, to a leather arm chair that was bolted to the floor. If they were distracted he would be able to get out, but they hadn't left him alone yet. The giant countdown timer on the wall across from the control centre  was counting down the final four hours til the end of the world. Harry doubted he'd  be left alone before that happened.

 

"Any sign of that valet yet, Gazelle?"

 

The shock of the subject change makes Harry twitch. Why would they expect Eggsy  _here_? How much do they know about Kingsman? They had been using his codename, so there had to be a leak of some kind.

 

Harry forces himself to calm down. Eggsy wasn't a Knight, he was safe back in England.

 

Valentine still had his back turned, but Gazelle gave Harry a knowing look before turning her attention back to the table that dominated the centre of the room. She and Valentine worked in tandum. The distraction gives Harry a chance to fiddle with his bonds. He can't do anything too obvious since they are standing so close by. He'll just have to wait, and watch for his chance. This isn't the first time he's been held prisoner by a megalomaniac. 

 

Valentine goes over to look out of the windows at the party down below. "Why are they so quiet?"

 

Harry can't keep himself from rolling his eyes. He is hardly an expert on others' motivations, and even  _he_  knows why Valentine's 'friends' are acting so glum. Even for the rich and powerful of the world, the idea of all their friends and family dying has to be weighing heavily on their minds.

 

Gazelle seems to agree with Harry's silent assessment. She goes to stand beside Valentine, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I don't know, maybe it is the upcoming genocide?"

 

"But it is necessary for the survival of the planet."

 

She presses a kiss to Valentine's cheek. "Not everybody shares your vision." She heads back to the monitor as Valentine starts to pontificate about the survival of the species over the loud speakers.

 

Their eyes meet for a moment, and Harry realizes for the first time that Gazelle doesn't believe in Valentine's plan either. The love filled look she sends toward Valentine makes it clear that no matter what her personal feelings about Valentine's plan, she won't turn against him.

 

It's a shame. She had so much potential that could have been harnessed for the good of humanity.

 

There is a shout from down below. "Valentine, I caught you a spy." Through the tinny speakers in the control room Harry can't be sure, but the voice sounds familiar.

 

"The young valet." Valentine's smile is gleeful. "Just as expected."

 

Gazelle is already moving before he finishes. Springing through one of the windows that swung open at her touch, she is out of sight before Harry has a chance to panic about Eggsy immanent capture.

 

Eggsy, that was how Harry had introduced him to Valentine at the shop.

 

Valentine leaves the window and comes to stand in front of Harry. "Now I will finally get my answers. I doubt you will be able to keep from telling the truth, when your Helpmeet's life is on the line."

 

Harry still doesn't know what the hell Valentine is talking about, but he doesn't find that funny anymore. Not when his lack of knowledge will cost Eggsy his life.

 

 

\---

 

 

Eggsy  takes Charlie out with a satisfying and electrified punch to the face before Valentine's Helpmeet drops out of the sky. With only his Ignite the Night lighter grenade left, Eggsy doesn't have much choice but to surrender. He can't set it off without damaging the computer Merlin is using to hack into Valentine's system.

 

Besides he won't need to play hostage long. Just until Merlin cracks into Valentine's system and get the SIM cards turned off. Until then, Eggsy will make sure that Valentine has plenty to distract him. If there is one thing Eggsy is good at, it's being an annoying little shit.

 

He lets Gazelle prod him up the stairs to Valentine's control room, both of them ignoring the gawking partygoers they pass by. Merlin is muttering curses in his ear, though whether it is because Eggsy got captured or because there is something wrong with the computer system Eggys can't tell. It's not like Eggsy doesn't have more important things to worry about.

 

Like what Valentine is planning to do with him. He can't think of any good reason for them to want him alive. Not after they went to all the trouble of getting Arthur to send Harry to them to kill. They climb the stairs together, her gun never wavering more than a few inches from his back the whole time. When they are inside the control room, Valentine greets them with the same genial façade that he had worn when they had met at Kingsman.

 

Eggsy doesn't have time to be annoyed though. All his attention is on Harry, blessedly alive, if a lot worse for wear. Dried blood runs down the edge of his nose and lines the crack in his lip. There is a purpling bruise that takes up most of Harry's right eye and cheekbone. He is also in a state of disarray that Eggsy had only seen when he was in a coma. "

 

What the hell did you do to him," Eggsy says, snapping his head toward Valentine, their eyes meeting full on. He wasn't going to be able to play annoying kid, not with an injured Harry a few feet away. It would have been hard enough while Eggsy was still trying to push down his rage about Valentine killing Harry, this was just impossible.

 

Valentine didn't seem to understand the warning in Eggsy's tone. Not surprising, given the man thought it was a brilliant plan to wipe the Earth free of humanity.

 

As though the Fates would ever allow him to go through with that.

 

"Welcome!" Valentine spreads his arms wide in an open gesture, as though they were good friends. The falseness of that impression was underscored by the sound of a bolt sliding into place behind Eggsy. Gazelle strolled into view, her handgun still held loosely in her hand, ready to swing back into position if Eggsy tried anything. Within seconds, she had the control room's windows closed. A opaque filter dropped down over them, until the party goers and countdown clock were barely visible.

 

"Now that all the uncomfortable bits are out of the way, I think it is time the four of us had a talk. Don't you agree, Galahad[[2]](Kingsman%20Mini%20Bang%20-%20Luck%20or%20Fate-for%20beta.docx#_msocom_2) ?" He addresses the last part to Harry. "You see, Mr. Valet, your partner doesn't seem to want to share any of Fate's plans with me. It's been very annoying, but with you here, I think he's going to become a lot more talkative."

 

The genial mask split, leaving behind only a cold, dead smile that made every instinct Eggsy had scream at him to run. A sharp stab of pain seemed to back up that urge. Though where the Fates thought he was going to go, Eggsy couldn't fathom. Besides, he had more important things to worry about, like how to get Harry away from this bastard without letting Valentine know that  _he_  was Fate's Revelation. Because Valentine was right about one thing, there was no way an Revelation would stand by and let their Helpmeet be tortured.

 

Let Valentine try to torture him to get Fate's plan out of Harry, it would keep him busy and distracted. Just what Eggsy had been planning in the first place. "Sorry to keep you waiting. You know how it is, someone fakes your partner's death and you just have so much revenge you have to plan, rescuing them from the afterlife just falls right off your priority list."

 

The backhand Gazelle lands on him would make Eggsy laugh. It's barely a love tap. Dean had done a lot worse. Stings like hell, but it isn't even hard enough to leave Eggsy bleeding. This isn't going to be as bad as he thought. They're holding back, waiting to break out the big guns until it benefits them most.

 

\---

 

 

The bonds cut into Harry's wrists and ankles as he twists against them. They have to have a defect. He won't sit idle while they torture Eggsy.

 

Guilt gnaws at him. If he had been able to save Lee, Eggsy wouldn't be here. If he can't save Eggsy, he'll surely go mad.

 

Shoving that thought away, he concentrates on escape. He's never felt that strongly about anyone, not even Merlin, his oldest friend. It's just a flight of fancy brought on by seeing Eggsy in the suit Harry had picked for him, finally grown into the man Harry had always known he could be.

 

Valentine turns and gives Harry the same fake smile that he's worn every time he was getting one over on Harry. "See, Agent Galahad, I told you. You're going to tell me everything, because otherwise your Helpmeet is going to pay the price."

 

Gazelle digs a knife into Eggsy's side. Blood wells up to stain the pure white of Eggsy's shirt. Eggsy doesn't cry out beyond a slight whimper. He's trained in how to withstand torture. It will take them hours to break Eggsy. Instead of that thought bringing him pride, it makes his stomach twist up in knots.

 

Valentine monologues like they are simply props for his plan. "I know how it is. The Fates make you feel like you are invincible. Always right. You don't want to deal with the pain of disobeying them." He leans down to meet Harry's eyes and whispers. "But I'll let you in on a secret, after a while you learn to embrace the pain. It becomes its own reward."

 

The man was mad. "I'm not Fate's Revelation. That's a myth."

 

Valentine flings his head back and laughs, the force of it shaking his body. He straightens, his face anything but amused. "I'm not insane. You know that the Fates are real. You have to know. We're a matched set. Equals. Destined to be advisaries."

 

Eggsy lets out another cry, this one louder. Harry's eyes flick over to him; he's sagging, the blood on his shirt now joined by a growing spot of blood at his shoulder.

 

"If you keep lying, Gazelle will just have to keep hurting your Helpmeet." He wags a finger. "You need to tell the truth."

 

The truth. The Fates were an old fashioned belief.

 

There is a crack and Eggsy lets out a loud yelp of pain before he stifles himself. Valentine's bulk blocks Harry's view of Gazelle and Eggsy.

 

Valentine leans forward until he is a bare inch from Harry. Harry lunges forward and slams his forehead into Valentine's nose with a satisfying crunch.

 

Nobody gets to hurt Eggsy.

 

Valentine falls back, a hand reaching up to cover his nose. Blood trickles down between his fingers. Harry is able to see Eggsy, now that Valentine is out of the way. He gives the boy a reassuring smile.

 

 

\---

 

 

Eggsy can't stop the aborted step forward, when Gazelle releases her tight hold on his broken arm. She gives him a warning look, before striding over to check on Valentine. Eggsy meets Harry's eyes, trying to ignore the blood that trickles down Harry's face from where he had bashed in Valentine's nose.

 

There is something terrifying lurking in Harry's eyes. Eggsy wonders for a moment if Valentine's SIM cards did more than just drive Harry beserk. It would be nice to think that, but it wouldn't be fair to blame Valentine for this. Not when Harry had beaten all of Dean's thugs to a bloody pulp with only the slightest provocation.

 

No, Harry was a dangerous, bloody man. It should terrify Eggsy. Instead, it makes his heart feel like it's swelling in his chest. How many times had he gone to bed angry with the Fates because they had taken his Dad away and left him to deal with his Mom's abusive boyfriends? Now the Fates had given him the best defender that he could ever have, his very own Helpmeet.

 

"Perhaps we should push the clock forward. Start the SIM cards now. Ninety percent of our people should be safely ensconced in their bunkers by this point. We need to get this under way before Galahad can put the Fates' plan into motion." Gazelle rubs a hand over Valentine's back.

 

 

Valentine runs a hand across the console top. Eggsy can't see it from where he's standing, but Merlin's voice in his ear a second later confirms that Valentine followed Gazelle's advice. "Eggsy, you need to stall them. Roxy is almost in position. Just a few seconds longer."

 

Eggsy hisses. How does Merlin expect him to stop them from going through with their plan when every move of his arm makes him almost black out? It isn't like he could ask Merlin that though, not with them so close. He needs to keep the fact that his glasses are transmitting a secret for as long as possible. Carefully, he eases towards Harry's chair. Not expecting to make it, but knowing the movement would attract Valentine's attention.

 

It works. The man's attention snaps to him, eyes cold and vague. He might as well be looking at one of Harry's collection of dead bugs. "Gazzy, why don't you tie up Mr. Valet? I want the Fates' Revelation to watch as my plan succeeds. Then we'll kill his helpmeet. Maybe that will show the Fates that they shouldn't mess with me."

 

Gazelle comes around the console, legs snicking against the carpet. There is a cheer in Eggsy's ear and then the console starts blaring a warning. Both Gazelle and Valentine's attention snap back to the screen.

 

"What was that?" Valentine shouts. The first true sign of bad temper that Eggsy has seen from the man.

 

"One of the satellites was taken out." Gazelle's fingers flicker over the console's surface.

 

Eggsy takes a few more careful steps towards Harry, turning his back on the console. Eggsy needs to make sure he is between Harry and Valentine, just in case Valentine decides to take his bad temper out on the other 'Revelation'.

 

Valentine crows.

 

 

"Eggsy, they've gotten another satellite. It isn't going to take them any time to get the signal back up. They're already at 20 %"

 

 

"Can you hack it?" Eggsy whispers into his collar, hoping Valentine's celebrating will cover up the soft sound.

 

"Bugger it! Eggsy, they have it on a biometric system. You have to keep Valentine from touching the controls." Merlin says.

 

A prickle of forewarning slides itself up Eggsy's spine. He spins to face the room's other occupants. Valentine is still watching the console with a single-minded determination, but Gazelle has started her original prowl towards him. He has maybe twenty seconds before she gets a hold of him. And there is no way that he's going to be able to fight her with his arm hanging limp at his side. A spike of pain slides its way up his spine, telling him to move.

 

 

He can't stop his face from twitching, not when all his attention is focused on staying standing. Gazelle freezes her face morphing from a pure predator to a confused child. She turns away to call to Valentine.

 

It's all the time Eggsy needs. He claws his pocket open, grabbing the Ignite the Night Lighter, and activating it in the same movement as he tosses it towards the console. Gazelle tries to catch it, but she is turned in an awkward angle and just barely misses.

 

Then Eggsy spins, tackling Harry, chair and all, as the console explodes. Burning glass explodes everywhere. The concussive force greys out his vision.

 

 

\---

 

 

Harry comes to, his body peppered with pain and a heavy weight against his chest. Cracking an eye open, he sees the ceiling partially obscured by billowing smoke. Moving his head, he strains to see what's weighing him down.

 

 

Eggsy's limp face meets his. A trickle of blood slips down Eggsy's cheek. Harry feels a rage that goes almost as far as what he had succumbed to under the SIM cards' control.

 

How dare they hurt Eggsy. They would all pay for this.

 

"Eggsy?" Shaking his shoulder, he tries to wake Eggsy up. Eggsy remains a dead weight.

 

He needs to get free. Now. He yanks his arm against the restraints. It gives. Only an inch, but enough.

 

A grief stricken wail echoes through his pounding head. Somebody injured in the explosion?

 

With his hand stretched to the limits of the rope, he grabs a shard of glass, and saws through the rope on his arm. Resting the shard on his chest, he uses his free hand to reach over and take the glasses off of Eggsy's face. "Merlin, are you there?"

 

"Galahad. It's good to hear your voice."

 

"Do you know what's going on?" Harry focuses on getting himself the rest of the way free. Merlin would let him know if there was immediate danger.

 

"Eggsy was able to take out the controls for the SIM cards. Transmission has been spotty since then, so I don't know where Valentine and Gazelle are. I would suggest getting free as quickly as possible. From what I saw, Eggsy had a badly broken arm, in addition to the concussion he likely has from being so close to the explosion. He won't be in fighting form even if he wakes back up immediately."

 

"Fuck."

 

"That about sums it up," Merlin agrees. "The good news is that it doesn't appear that they have been able to get the SIM cards back up and running. If you can take Valentine out, they will be locked out of the system. They're using biometrics."

 

A bloodthirsty smile spreads across Harry's face. "With pleasure."

 

He is able to saw through the rest of the bonds quickly. The glass shard cuts into his fingers, but he doesn't care. Valentine won't get away. He only slows down to gently reposition Eggsy into a spot of mostly glass free carpet.

 

Then he is up and aiming a vicious kick to the chair he had been tied to. It shatters into a number of nicely sized wooden clubs. Not the best weapon, but it will due.

 

Scanning the room, he finds Gazelle crouched over Valentine's bloody and unmoving body. When she sees him stand, her tortured wails stop. A familiar bloodthirst burns in her eyes. "I should have known you'd survive." She stands with a single fluid move, the blade's deploying from her feet. "Helpmeets always survive."

 

"Knew what?" He rises to the bait. If she wants to monologue he'll use it to his advantage. They start to circle, each feeling out the others' weakness.

 

He's still recovering from the blow to his head. She is favoring her right side, which is peppered with cuts.

 

"I knew we had it wrong. You were never the Revelation."

 

"Give up, your plan is ruined."

 

"No, I can't hurt the Fates the way he could." She looks over at Valentine's slumped form. "But if I kill you, I can still hurt their Revelation."

 

She springs, legs flashing. It only takes a few hits before his wooden clubs are shredded, leaving him defending himself with whatever he can get his hands on. Not much in the shattered remains of the console room.

 

They are evenly matched. She has weapons and a much more acrobatic style that makes it hard for Harry to use the brute force approach he favors, but she is injured. If he can find an opening. Some kind of advantage.

 

There was a groan from where he had left Eggsy. Quiet, barely there, but Gazelle's eyes spark with a vicious light. She springs backwards toward Eggsy. Harry won't be able to reach Eggsy before she can. Their fight had carried him to the far side of the room.

 

Stupid, he should have paid more attention to his location. "Merlin!"

 

"She had a gun earlier. I believe it is still located by the console."

 

Harry runs for the console. Maybe Gazelle will try to stop him. She doesn’t take the bait, still approaching Eggsy.

 

Panicked, he scrambles through the debris, ignoring the blank gaze he is receiving from Valentine's corpse. He finds it, just as he hears the soft noise of Gazelle deploying the blade from her leg.

 

Spinning, he fires. She falls back, blood flying from her chest. Keeping the gun on her, he approaches. She is sprawled over the remains of the chair he'd been tied to. Blood trickles from her lips, but it doesn't stop her from smiling.

 

It's unnerving. She was so angry. What had she done to Eggsy to make her so pleased? A scan of his body shows no new wounds. He steps closer until Gazelle can see him. She keeps smiling. "The Fates are kind, to let me die with my Revelation."

 

"You're insane. The Fates aren't real."

 

She coughed up a mouthful of blood as she tried to laugh, that same vicious light shining in her eyes. "You are going to break him. An Revelation without a Helpmeet. He'll become like us, hating the Fates. My Revelation's dream will still come true." Another mouthful of blood bubbled up from her lips. Her eyes go dark.

 

He watches for a long moment. She was mad. That was all. The Fates aren't real. He isn't going to harm Eggsy. "Merlin, do you have an exit for me?"

 

"From what I've been able to tell, there is pandemonium in the bunker below the console room, it's in chaos. If you keep your head down, two men covered in blood won't draw much attention. I'll guide you back to the Kingsman plane."

 

Harry shoves the gun into his waistband and bends to scoop Eggsy into his arms. He braces the boy's head against his shoulder to keep him from being injured further.

 

Following Merlin's directions, he is able to get them down into the party beneath the control room. Glass from the control room's windows had rained down after Eggsy had set off the explosion. Finely dressed people covered in blood are everywhere.

 

They don't look twice at Harry or Eggsy.

 

It is easy enough to blend in with the people stumbling through the hallways towards the airplane hangar. Everyone is covered in explosion dust and blood. "Merlin, are you keeping track of who is here? I don't want anybody getting away with this."

 

"I've got facial recognition running. MI5 will be here soon to release the prisoners Valentine was holding. That will give us the rest of the names."

 

"Good."

 

Harry caught sight of Charlie and an older couple that shared his looks. Ducking his head, he turned until Eggsy was sheltered from view.

 

Once they had passed, he rejoined the crowd. "How long until you are ready to fly us out?"

 

"I didn't want to draw attention so I have us queued up as the fifth plane to be departing."

 

"You'll want to keep an eye out for Charlie. He might recognize the plane."

 

"Bugger."

 

The line went quiet for a moment. "I've got his family's plane rescheduled to come up before the Kingsman jet. They're only letting one plane out at a time, that should be enough. We'll have to figure out what to do about the blighter once things have settled down."

 

"Let Arthur deal with it. The bastard was the one who picked him in the first place."

 

There was a beat of silence on Merlin's end. "I forgot, you wouldn't know. Our boy took Arthur down. Bastard sold us out."

 

"You're sure?" Arthur is a bastard, but they always shared a similar obsession with duty and serving Queen and Country. For him to abandon his duty…

 

"I watched the security footage myself. He tried to poison Eggsy. Got a taste of his own medicine. Better than he deserved."

 

Harry's arms clench tighter around Eggsy. To have come so close to losing him. He tries to convince himself what he is feeling is just his guilt over Lee, but this gut deep rage at Arthur?

 

That isn't guilt.

 

Gazelle's words flash back into his mind. It iss absurd, they couldn't be Revelation and Helpmeet. Those were just stories people told their children. Still. "Merlin, do you have any idea about Valentine's claims to be an Revelation?"

 

"I'm tracking a couple hundred traitors and trying to get us a way out of this blasted mountain. Is now the best time to have this discussion?"

 

Perhaps not. Too bad he can't put the questions out of his mind. Gazele had been positive he'd harm Eggsy with his lack of belief. What if that was true? Could he take the chance?

 

 

\---

 

 

Eggsy groans himself awake. There is a dull pain in his head and a sharp throb from his arm. "Rox?"

 

"We haven't reached her location yet."

 

That voice. Something told him that he shouldn't be hearing it. Why? He mentally poked at the place where Fate usually sent him pain when it wanted his attention.

 

He didn't even get a throb in response. When was the last time he had been so free? Not since before the night he stole that car.

 

The car, Harry.

 

That voice.

 

He shot up, mind whirling. Had Harry's death been a dream? Was he going to have figure out a way to keep Harry from going to Kentucky?

 

Pain lances through his arm. He gasps, falling back against the cushion he'd been resting on. The pain grays out his vision for a second. When it clears, he finds that he's laying on a couch in an airplane. Harry sits in the chair beside him, shirt and hair in disarray.

 

The events of Valentine's bunker rush over him. Valentine being an Revelation and finding Harry alive. "What happened." It comes out as a croak.

 

Harry gets a plastic cup of water and holds it to his lips. "You passed out after blowing up Valentine's console."

 

"Valentine?"

 

"Didn't survive the explosion. I was able to take out Gazelle, and Merlin covered our escape." He places the cup down. "You were able to save everyone. You should rest."

 

Eggsy reaches out with his good arm and grabs onto Harry's shirt sleeve. It's a stupid, childish gesture, but it makes him feel better. Eases the fear that Harry will disappear again. Exhaustion is dragging him under. "Wake me up when Rox gets back. She was awesome."

 

Fingers run through his hair, dragging him further down into sleep.

 

When he wakes back up, Rox is the one sitting next to him. She's staring at her phone, humming to herself. It's a comforting sound he got used to during all their time together in training. "Hey, Rox."

 

"Eggsy, I'm glad you woke up. Merlin thinks you have a concussion. I'm supposed to wake you up anyway."

 

Eggsy groans. "I'm going to be up every two hours, aren't I?"

 

She smiles, it crinkles up the corners of her eyes. "You are such a baby, whining over missed sleep. If you're lucky, we'll be back at headquarters and Merlin can check you out for real."

 

Eggsy tries to sit up, but Roxy has him by the shoulders and pushes him back down. "None of that. We weren't able to get your arm set yet, putting any weight on it and it'll come bursting through the skin. If you don't manage to break open your knife wounds first."

 

"I want to check on my Mom and Ryan," he argues.

 

"I already called them. Merlin got me the number. You can call her once we're sure you don't have a concussion. If you start rambling while you're on the phone with her, it will only scare her more."

 

Eggsy wants to fight, but Rox is logical as always. "You were awesome with that rocket, Rox. Really saved our arses," he mutters as he finally gives in to the urge to sleep.

 

Roxy is right. When he comes back around, it is to Kingsman medical staff transferring him onto the stretcher. Harry hovers nearby while Merlin talks to the staff in his usual clipped tones. It is familiar and comforting enough that he is able to go back to sleep, even with the medical staff poking at him.

 

 It's three days before Eggsy manages to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. In the few hours when he's awake Rox makes sure he knows what's going on with his Mum and Ryan. Nobody is willing to discuss the clean up from Valentine incident. Even Harry seems content to sit by his bedside reading the paper. Merlin's insistence that Eggsy's concussion will get worse if he's stressed out probably have a lot to do with Harry and Rox's refusal to talk. 

 

The day Merlin finally lets him out of the hospital wing, he drags himself up to the main house. JB skitters across the wooden floor and hurls himself at Eggsy's legs, barking hysterically. Laughing, Eggsy bends down to rub at the little pug's ears. JB takes this as permission to start sniffing Eggsy's cast.

 

"He's not nearly as well behaved as you made him out to be." Harry says, his voice making Eggsy jump.

 

"Were you the one who brought him here?" Eggsy looks up at Harry. He is as polished as ever. Making Eggsy feel small and insignificant. How stupid he'd been to think that the Fates would give Eggsy someone so powerful to be his Helpmeet. Not even Valentine, who knew what it was to be an Revelation, had believed it.

 

"Roxy brought him from your house, but I told her that we needed to talk. She let me bring him to see you."

 

Eggsy wants to run, but he's still weak and he's not able to outrun Harry in his state. He wouldn't be able to, even if he was in perfect health.

 

Harry reaches his hand out to help Eggsy back to his feet. Together, they walk to the Manors upper east wing. Where the Knights quarters are. It looks like the old manor houses in the dramas his Mom watches than the headquarters of a secret spy base.

 

" Once you are sworn in, you'll have rooms here too," Harry says as he opens a door. The walls are the same shade of red as his study and glass cases full of dead moths and butterflies line the walls.

 

A pair of leather chairs sit in front of the fireplace. Harry takes one and motions for Eggsy to take the other. "I would offer you a drink, but Merlin would kill me if I gave you any alcohol to go with the pain meds he prescribed."

 

"It's fine," Eggsy says, keeping his eyes on JB so he doesn't have to meet Harry's eyes and see his disappointment. He's waiting for Harry to lash out with the same anger that he had shown when Eggsy had failed the test to shoot JB.

 

"Eggsy, I am sorry for my anger. I should have known you wouldn't be able to shoot JB. It was unfair of me to blame you."

 

Eggsy is finally able to look Harry in the eye. "I thought I could do what it took, but it wasn't-"

 

How can he explain that he'd thought Kingsman was the Fates' path for him, only to realize he'd been wrong. In all the time he's known Harry, he's never seen Harry waver in his devotion to Kingsman. Can he even understand someone having something more important to them than their duty?

 

Harry rubs a hand over his face. "Do you remember when we were with Valentine? I told him that I didn't believe in the Fates."

 

Eggsy gulps. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about it. It felt like a shard of pain in his soul. It was the reason he kept trying to convince himself that he was wrong about Harry being his. How could he have a Helpmeet who doesn't even believe in the Fates?

 

"I remember."

 

"I have always believed that the Fates couldn't exist. If they did, how could they let this world be so overrun with corruption?"

 

Free will, people being too stupid to follow Fate's designs. Eggsy may be an Revelation of Fate, but he's never been able to understand why things go so wrong.

 

"I don't know."

 

"After our fight with Valentine, I asked Merlin to research Revelations."

 

Eggsy ducks his head, letting JB's concerned snort and the feeling of his smooth fur under Eggsy's fingers sooth him. "So?"

 

"He was able to corroborate Valentine's claims." He pauses for a moment before going on. "He was also able to corroborate Gazelle's claims that you were an Revelation."

 

Eggsy's good hand clenches spasmodically around JB's fur, prompting the pug to whine in displeasure. "Yeah, one fuck up of an Revelation."

 

Harry's hands come into view, resting on Eggsy's shoulders. Eggsy can't stop himself from looking up. Harry's eyes are soft, understanding. "I may not believe in the Fates, but I promise that you are a good man. There is nothing that Merlin found that would change my mind about that."

 

Eggsy lets out a shaky breath. It is so tempting to start sobbing into Harry's strong shoulders. He swallows back the tears. He needs to know. "What are we going to do now?"

 

Harry's eyes are so soft. "I can't promise to be a Helpmeet. I don't even know if I will ever believe in the Fates, but I can promise you that I will never leave you alone again."

 

This time, Eggsy can't keep himself from crying, letting loose all the tears that he had wanted to spill when he had thought Harry was dead. It felt like healing, and when Harry pulls him into a tight hug, that feeling only gets stronger.

 

Maybe they aren't like Merlin and Arthur in Mum's old stories, but they can still be Knights. Bound to each other's sides for the rest of their lives.

 

That is so much more than Eggsy ever dreamed he would get.

 

Fin

 

 


End file.
